NOTE: I do not update these reports after they are posted so some of the links may not work after a while. If you find a broken link check the title in the alphabetical lists of alternative or general reviews at the end of this report.

SUNDAY FAN FICTION REPORT - 4/25/99
[Previous report was for 4/22/99]

Hi all,

Have been reading some very nice STAR TREK VOYAGER fanfic lately so I'm including a SPECIAL SECTION below for my fellow VOYAGER alt. fanfic aficionados.

DARKNESS BEFORE THE DAWNby Bel-wah
The conclusion is now available. This gifted writer brings us the first part of an action-packed uber story set in the present day and featuring an incredibly timely storyline. Bel_Wah's latest begins in the Big Apple as all the principals are gathering together. On one side of town, Captain Catherine Phillips rushes to grab a taxi on her way to the airport and the passenger airliner she'll be piloting on its way to Rome. Termed by some of her co-workers as "Frosty the snow-bitch" but known by others as an intelligent, no-nonsense professional, the beautiful Air Force veteran has come to a crossroads in her life. No longer fulfilled by her job, she carries a letter of resignation fully intending for the trip to Rome to be her last in the employ of Orbis Airlines. On another side of town a van also rushes to the airport carrying the Orbis crew members who will be servicing that flight. The youngest among them, Rebecca Hanson, is a dedicated flight attendant who's worked her way quickly up the ranks through hard work and determination. Looking forward to the layover in Rome, Becky nevertheless feels the nerves upon hearing she'll be working with the infamous Captain Phillips. All too soon she's meeting the woman and not under...ideal circumstances. The third group of players are the final ones to arrive - fiercely loyal to a homeland torn apart by war, the Albanian nationals board the flight to Rome under false identities, determined that before the night is over they will have set in motion a plan to force the hand of the world's greatest superpower - caring little for the fellow passengers whose lives they're about to change and fully prepared to sacrifice those lives for their desperate cause. In this final part Catherine struggles to land her crippled plane. Reminiscent of those emotional airport thrillers which have always been a popular draw - comes an ideal uber story with compelling, solid characterizations. Addressing a crisis we are seeing on our TV sets every day right now and coupled with a very distinct modern atmosphere, the story also offers a terrific timeliness. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! - 22 pgs.http://ausxip.com/fanfiction/d/darknessbeforedawn1.html

THE DEATH CULT OF LYDIAby Susan Smith
In a sequel to her story THE AMAZONS OF DAHOMEY, Smitty follows Xena and Gabrielle's journey as the two leave Dahomey to travel to the land of the Pharaohs and the fabled city of Alexandria. All the while the Warrior Princess is worried about the hallucinations and moodiness she's recently been experiencing. Smitty does a great job imparting a historic atmosphere to the story making the exotic locations and people come alive. This one shows nice potential. [unfinished] - 9 pgs.http://www.azarnes.com/Death.html

BLOODLUSTby Protek
A follow-up to Protek's THE LONGING, this newest entry in the INFINITY SERIES has Xena and Rickie investigating a gruesome series of murders showing the telltale signs of a vampire on the loose. Having never met a real vampire in her two thousand years on Earth, the ancient warrior rather doubts that's the answer but the bloodlust evident by the murders do remind her of an all-too-human monster she once met centuries ago called...Prince Vlad. Well-written, Protek's latest does a good job of capturing the feel of this always intriguing series but be warned - if the opening of this story doesn't make you squirm you're a much tougher customer than I am! [unfinished] - 8 pgs.http://members.spree.com/romance/dmredhawk/Blood/Lust1.html

METAMORPHOSISby Governal
Chapter 3 is now being posted. This bard's debut on the web comes with a very well-written first chapter in a story with terrific potential set in the world of Xena the Conqueror where the deadly empress is getting ready to extend her empire while a determined resistance looks for ways to stop her. Part of that resistance, Gabrielle is well aware of the woman's cruelty but convinced despite it that Xena's death is not the answer - not for their world...and not for herself. To prove it she's willing to risk it all - even the possibility of an agonizing death on a merciless cross. In this latest chapter, a visit to the valley of crosses leads to a change of heart for the Conqueror as her latest victim is moved back to the castle and put under the care of a mysterious silent healer. This is a riveting story with terrific characterizations and a very intriguing, carefully crafted storyline certain to entice even more readers into the genre. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! [unfinished] - 3 pgs.http://wordhoard.trobairitz.net/xwpfic/metamorphosis1.htmA FORK IN THE ROADby BairdBard
Part 3 is now available. A very unusual uber-Xena story that begins at a meeting for alcoholics where a very nervous Brie, there for a first time with a friend, meets a mysterious loner named Zim. It is a meeting of the souls that neither quite understands but which sparks an instant connection between them. In this third part Zim helps Brie as she remembers her own period of detoxification. Nicely written, this story has a very different, contemporary theme. Quite promising. DO NOT MISS!! [unfinished] - 11 pgs.http://members.xoom.com/bairdbard/

SPECIAL SECTION - STAR TREK VOYAGER

Lately the Web has been getting some great new sites featuring VOYAGER alt. fanfic. Make sure to check out:

JUST BETWEEN UNIVERSESby G.L. Dartt
Adding to what is already one of the finest fanfic series available on the Web, G.L. Dartt brings us another OUTSTANDING Janeway/Seven tale, this one centering not only on one but TWO versions of our favorite 24th century couple. Shifting between the regular universe and the alternate one Janeway and Seven first visited in JUST BETWEEN REALITIES, the story begins in that alternate universe where Annika Hansen and Commodore Kathyrn Johnson are finally living a life together as a couple but experiencing some major disagreements over the demands Starfleet is making of them. Life seems better for their counterparts in the regular universe where Janeway and Seven are busy experimenting with all those settings in the Wonder Wand 9000 ;-)...but it's a happy, playful time that soon comes to an abrupt halt when it becomes clear that something is terribly wrong with the Captain...something is killing her and the only hope to stop it rests in two women from another universe. G.L.'s treatment of the Janeway/Seven relationship is second to none - filled with humor and passion and an incredibly appealing sense of honesty and respect. It is particularly interesting to see how she deals here with two versions of this romantic partnership, making them different and yet familiar at the same time. Featuring a very poignant conclusion, this is one of the best in the series to date. It gets my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION! - 52 pgs.http://www.northco.net/~janeway/17jbuniv.htm

JUST BETWEEN DAWN AND DUSKby G.L. Dartt
The 18th entry in the JUST BETWEEN SERIES, G.L.'s latest is one of the lighter offerings in the series, chronicling a day in the lives of Janeway, Seven and their canine, Jake. For the captain and Borg the day is a mix of small frustrations, surprises, sudden joys and disappointments and a reaffirmation of the solid love that is the core of their relationship. For Jake the day starts off as usual with one of his daily romps around the ship - a little development neither of his mistresses know about yet. This day, however, all sorts of new experiences await Jake including an impromptu meeting with a potential playmate who doesn't much want to play and the opportunity to be an unlikely hero in a world unlikely to ever recognize that innocent heroism. Continually shifting the story from Janeway and Seven to their mischievous canine, this one features a terrific sense of pacing taking the reader from moments of humor to ones of quiet pathos as G.L. continues to expand on some of the most satisfying and well-crafted characterizations I've seen in fanfic. Another winner in a first-class series. This gets my HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION - 38 pgs.http://www.northco.net/~janeway/18jbdawn.htm

ARTE/SCIENZAby DiNovia
VOYAGER alt. fanfic gets a talented new bard with the publication of DiNovia's first Janeway/Seven story - a beautifully crafted, sensual tale which looks at art as the window to the soul. The story begins with a surprised Janeway learning that Voyager's resident Borg has taken up the art of painting and is using the Captain's DaVinci hologram program to learn how. The Maestro himself is more than delighted at the prospect of having the two as students - sensing despite his holographic origins that in teaching the Captain and the Borg about art he might just be able to teach them also about what's in their hearts. DiNovia does an outstanding job here with the characterizations - depicting a Seven of Nine that is curious and scared, poignantly innocent despite a vast intelligence and achingly lonely in a world she does not understand. Her Janeway is a woman who's embraced a similar loneliness by choice if not by circumstance, torn suddenly between the comfortable safety of a loveless life and the risk of sharing herself once again. A fascinating character study of these two heroines, ARTE/SCIENSA is the first entry in a promising new series. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! - 47 pgs.http://web.archive.org/web/20010626111012/www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Bungalow/7165/settedinovi.html

THE LONE SOULby sHaYcH
Another Xenite bard tries her hand at VOYAGER fanfic delivering a thoughtful, poignant new tale that is the first entry in a planned series called VOYAGES OF THE SOUL. Set initially just prior to the events in the episode DRONE, the story chronicles a Borg's quest to find her soul, first through music and then, after the events in DRONE, through the grief of an unexpected loss. Well-written with a moving look at Seven's efforts to regain a humanity she doesn't even remember. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! - 9 pgs.http://www.geocities.com/shaych3/lonesoul.htm

SOUL SEARCHINGby sHaYcH
Episode three in the VOYAGES OF THE SOUL SERIES finds the crew of Voyager enjoying some leisure time on a beautiful M-class planet where a memory from her childhood spurns Seven to try her hand at swimming and ends up with the Captain catching herself a Borg ;-) Shay continues to nicely develop the romance here as the friendship and trust deepens. DO NOT MISS! - 9 pgs.http://www.geocities.com/shaych3/soulsearching.htm

SOUL'S RISKby sHaYcH
Episode four in the VOYAGES OF THE SOUL SERIES is a riveting, suspenseful entry that has Seven and the Captain getting trapped in a malfunctioning holodeck after Voyager encounters a powerful nuclear explosion. With the holodeck's safety protocols offline and Seven badly injured, it's a race against time as the crew struggles to get them out and Janeway struggles to help the young woman whose come to mean so much to her. Fast-paced and emotional. DO NOT MISS! - 14 pgs.http://www.geocities.com/shaych3/soulsflight.htm

For those of you reading this post who are not familiar with the term alternative (alt.), it refers to ADULT stories that add a romantic element to the relationship between Xena and Gabrielle, depicting them as more than just friends.